Last Updated: 25 August 2021
The Stay-at-Home Order for Greater Sydney has been extended to the end of September 2021 across the Sydney metropolitan area, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains. The Central Coast and Shellharbour are now classified as regional New South Wales.
Face-to-face learning for Term 3 at schools (from kindy through to year 11) across the Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Wollongong, Shellharbour and Blue Mountains regions has not resumed, however, schools and Outside School Hours Care at Government schools remain open for students who need them, and no child will be turned away from school.
On Friday 21 August, the NSW Premier stressed to families across the state that, if it was possible to keep children at home and not send them to school, that would be recommended.
Further regulations were announced in relation to childcare workers in Local Government Areas (LGAs) of concern. These regulations are:
- Childcare workers who live or work in the LGAs of concern must have their first COVID-19 vaccination dose by 30 August.
- Childcare workers who live or work in the LGAs of concern and travel outside or to these areas must complete the Service NSW permit registration process.
What this means for Y OSHC Families
Our OSHC services are open, and we are continuing to support families with care arrangements as an education and care provider.
Families can attend services for the purposes of pick up and drop off in Greater Sydney.
Parents and carers must wear masks, as per the Public Health Order, and follow the recommendations of their school when dropping off or picking up children from education and care services across NSW.
Mask wearing, strict physical distancing, hand sanitisation and QR code check-in processes are already in place and will continue in Greater Sydney. We are able to provide these services with spatial capacity accommodating the 1 in 4 per square metre rule. Wherever possible we are limiting staff movement to within their LGA.
We encourage our families who are not actively using their OSHC service up until 30 September 2021 to mark your child absent to ensure continuity of care. You will continue to receive the Child Care Subsidy. If you have any enquiries regarding your account or billing, our friendly Child Care Team are on standby to help you on 1300 009 679.
Y NSW Children’s Services staff are complying with all public health orders and the above regulations.
Local Government Areas of concern
The NSW Premier’s announcement on 23 August specified concern for the rate of COVID-19 infection in specific local government areas (LGA)s of concern. The LGAs are: Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield, and some suburbs of Penrith – including Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair and St Marys. It is recommended that mobility in these areas of Greater Sydney is reduced as much as possible.
What this means for OSHC services in regional NSW
Face-to-face learning and outside school hours care services in regional New South Wales are open as usual.
Y NSW staff are going above and beyond, wearing masks in all centres. There is currently no Government requirement for staff to wear masks whilst caring for children in regional NSW.
Physical distancing will be required at drop off and pick up. We have advised our families that if they or their children feel unwell that they remain at home and if they have travelled to any areas of concern that they monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.
The Y commitment to health and safety
The health, wellbeing and safety of the community and our people is our top priority. We have responded immediately to the Stay-at-home Order for Greater Sydney, initially issued on 26 June and now extended to the end of September 2021 by the NSW Premier.
The Y NSW will continue to watch the situation as it unfolds and if at any point, we need to change our service provision or for occupancy and ratio reasonings can no longer offer service at one of our sites we will inform you as soon as possible.
If you have any enquiries, please contact the Y Child Care Team on 1300 009 679.
We appreciate your ongoing support as we work together through this challenging time.
Stay safe.
Back to news
